South Pacific Pictures television productions have taken a record 28 nominations in the 2003 AFTA New Zealand Television Awards.

Shortland Street, Mercy Peak and Mataku dominate the dramas categories in the nominations announced on Wednesday 16 July. Shortland Street (which plays on TV2) has three nominations, Mercy Peak (TV ONE) has 11, and the ground-breaking Maori drama series Mataku (TV3) has garnered 14.

The announcement comes just days after South Pacific Pictures celebrated its 15th anniversary, and while its award-winning feature film Whale Rider is reaping national and international critical and popular acclaim.

South Pacific Pictures Managing Director John Barnett says: "It's great to see the creative talents on three of our productions get the recognition they deserve. We are very proud of everyone involved in the production of these programmes."

The nominees from South Pacific Pictures productions are:

Best Episode: Drama Series or Serial - Mataku (The Final Plume) - Carey Carter and Rhonda Kite, Producers
Best Episode: Drama Series or Serial - Mercy Peak - John Laing, Producer
Best Drama Series or Serial - Mataku - Carey Carter and Rhonda Kite, Producers
Best Drama Series or Serial - Mercy Peak - John Laing, Producer
Best Actress, Mataku (The Blue Line) - Cherie James, playing Sandra Edwards
Best Actress - Mercy Peak - Sara Wiseman, playing Dr Nicky Somerville
Best Actor - Mercy Peak - Jeffrey Thomas, playing Dr William Kingsley
Best Supporting Actress - Mercy Peak - Alison Bruce, playing Louise Duval
Best Supporting Actress - Shortland Street - Annie Whittle, playing Barb Heywood
Best Supporting Actor - Mercy Peak - Craig Parker, playing Dr Alistair Kingsley
Best Supporting Actor - Mercy Peak - Joel Tobeck, playing Cornel van der Velter
Best Juvenile Actor/Actress - Mataku (The Sands of Time) - Dominique Crawford, playing Nicky Williams
Best Juvenile Actor/Actress - Shortland Street -Anna Hutchinson, playing Delphi Greenlaw
Best Script, Single Episode: Drama Series or Serial - Mataku (The Blue Line) - Vanessa Rare
Best Script, Single Episode: Drama Series or Serial - Mataku (The Final Plume) - Carey Carter
Best Director, Drama - Mataku (The Lost Tribe) - Peter Burger
Best Director, Drama - Mercy Peak - Peter Sharp
Best Camera, Drama - Mataku (The Final Plume) - Paul Samuels
Best Camera, Drama - Mataku (The Lost Tribe) - Rewa Harre
Best Editing, Drama - Mataku (The Lost Tribe) - Allanah Milne
Best Editing, Drama - Mercy Peak - Nicola Smith
Best Contribution to a Soundtrack - Mataku (The Fishing Trip) - Lloyd Canham and Nick Buckton
Best Production Design - Mataku (The God Child) - Miro Harre
Best Production Design - Mercy Peak - Brett Schwieters
Best Production Design - Shortland Street - David Turner
Best Costume Design - Mataku (The Sands of Time) - Louise Davis
Best Costume Design - Mercy Peak - Sarah Voon
Best Contribution to Design - Mataku (The Final Plume) - Gabrielle Jones and Mark Knight

Nominated Mataku episodes:

The Final Plume: Sean Ngari is a model teenager, but without warning he attacks his father in a violent rage, fulfilling a prophecy.

The Blue Line: When a property development company starts to clear land to make way for a new casino, a young female executive is overtaken by the spirit of an old Maori woman.

The Sands of Time: When a family moves into a new home, the two children find themselves haunted by the spirits of two doomed lovers.

The Lost Tribe: An army unit on exercise deep in a state forest stumble across a lost warrior tribe from the past.

The Fishing Trip: A friends' fishing trip proves fatal when the men land on a sacred island.

The God Child: A beautiful young woman who is a seer, using her powers for criminal gain, discovers she is a child of the gods and must face the consequences of her reckless actions.

The AFTA New Zealand Television Awards will be held on August 22, at Auckland Aotea Centre.